Sure, there’s something to be said for pushing boundaries, constantly seeking out strange new sounds, and generally compiling the ephemera of the musical universe. But if there’s one thing any music fan with a taste for hooks knows, it’s that the folks at Pitchfork have a habit of often missing the forest for the trees. While the online indie-music kings at the site spend their days approaching music from a nigh-on scientific standpoint, some of the year’s best music can end up getting the shaft, simply because it isn’t weird or progressive enough. So, we weren’t all that surprised to see that a lot of our favorite albums of 2009 were omitted from Pitchfork’s top 10 albums of the year list. However, the fact that many of them not only also failed to appear in the site’s top 50, but even the honorable mentions, was a little too much to let slide.
Of course, we have nothing against Pitchfork. We love the folks over there, and we think they perform a valuable service. But we like to think of ourselves as a bit more populist, and great songwriting and recordings are enough to get us excited. With that said, we present our list of the top 10 albums of 2009 that didn’t make Pitchfork’s rundown — all of which would have appeared in our own top 50, if not top 10.
10. White Lies, To Lose My Life (Geffen)
While London’s White Lies have had accusations of Joy Divison imitation thrown their way since day one, their debut album is a towering accomplishment, blending dark imagery and brooding melancholy with the trappings of arena-ready anthems. This is pretty much the only band that can have you enthusiastically belting out the chorus to a catchy single titled “Death” and get away with it. Plus, Interpol faced similar finger-pointing early on (and perhaps still), and it didn’t hurt them much.
9. Tegan and Sara, Sainthood (Sire)
Canadian twin duo Tegan and Sara’s last album, 2007′s The Con, really threw us for a loop. We’ve always been fans of the pair, but we didn’t expect anything quite as masterful or complex as what they delivered. While they took a step back and approached their latest release from a more straightforward perspective, it still delivers beautifully, especially in the form of “Hell,” another song whose dark title belies its bright sing-along potential.
8. Muse, The Resistance (Warner Bros.)
Granted, Muse have already reached arena status, which pretty much guaranteed off the bat they’d get snubbed in the Pitchfork rundown. However, the bigger the modern prog-rock trio gets, the more it pushes the envelope. This time around, Matt Bellamy and co. not only upped the Queen-tastic operatics, but also went so far as to create a three-part rock symphony called “Exogenesis” to close out the album. We’re not sure how much more over-the-top they can get, but we’re excited to find out.
7. Arctic Monkeys, Humbug (Domino)
For their third album, the UK’s biggest new stars of the ’00s took a left turn and went off to the desert to work with Queens of the Stone Age man Josh Homme. The results were polarizing to be sure, with many fans of the Monkeys’ bouncy art-pop scratching their heads at the echoes of stoner rock that had leaked into their sound. However, that’s the whole thing with progression: it’s trying new things that keeps you interesting, and Humbug is nothing if not compelling.
6. La Roux, La Roux (Cherrytree)
At first glance, La Roux’s Elly Jackson may appear to have stepped straight out of a Human League video, and at first listen, her ’80s influences comprise most of what you’ll hear. The kicker is that the tracks on the self-titled debut album she constructed with studio partner Ben Langmaid are some of the most perfect synthpop gems you’ll hear this side of the 21st century. With songs like “Bulletproof” and “In for the Kill,” La Roux have made the most successful argument for ’80s revivalism we’ve heard pretty much ever.
5. Kasabian, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (RCA)
While Kasabian’s second album had some great moments, the band seemed content to sit atop its rock throne and survey what it had built without spending too much time on redecoration. Clearly the boys became a bit antsy though, because West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is almost as mental as the institution it takes its name from. Riffing off the psychedelia of ’60s bands like the Pretty Things, Kasabian outdid themselves on this one, nailing everything from the fire-starting “Fast Fuse” to the downtempo acid-rock of “Happiness.”
4. Jamie T, Kings & Queens (Astralwerks)
When it comes to acts that caught us off-guard in 2009, Jamie T pretty much takes the cake. We loved his 2007 debut, Panic Prevention, but we weren’t expecting him to produce a follow-up that wowed not just with its playability, but with its sheer diversity. This is the guy who was originally pegged as a cross between Mike Skinner and Kate Nash, after all, so his production of one of the year’s most unforgettable singles, “Sticks ‘N’ Stones,” was a welcome treat in a record that was simply bursting with them.
3. Florence and the Machine, Lungs (Universal)
Florence Welch is another artist who won us over early on with her lush arrangements, commanding stage presence, and updated take on the sounds of Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, and Fiona Apple. She received an extra career boost from the XX remix of her single “You’ve Got the Love,” but Lungs is a debut album that speaks for itself, especially on emotionally laden tracks like “Dogs Days Are Over” and our favorite, “Cosmic Love.”
2. Julian Casablancas, Phrazes for the Young (RCA)
Obviously this man needs no introduction. While the other members of the Strokes have been releasing side projects and solo albums over the past few years, the band’s high-profile frontman kept an unusually low profile. Fittingly, his re-emergence was the next-best thing to an actual new Strokes record, bringing a short-but-sweet solo effort that trumps his bandmates’ output by a mile. Leaving this record off any year-end list seems nothing short of an intentional slight, as it’s a welcome reminder of what Casablancas’ songwriting means in the legacy of the Strokes (ie, a lot).
1. The Dead Weather, Horehound (Reprise)
Which brings us nicely to the union of Jack White and Alison Mosshart under the Dead Weather moniker. To be fair, we’re of the opinion that neither the White Stripes nor the Kills have ever made a misstep, but unlike the Raconteurs, this group effort is far more than the sum of its parts. Edgy, eclectic, and seething with primal energy, Horehound is an album that not only belongs near the top of any year-end list, but will likely rip you to shreds for trying to ignore it. Not that Pitchfork did — the site gave the album a 7.5. In fact, a number of the records on this list received similarly glowing reviews from our brethren in Chicago. Which only begs the question, how could they be left off a list that includes 75 other, often much less-deserving, records from the year that was?
So, what do you think? Are there other albums Pitchfork overlooked that you feel got the shaft? Do you think they made the right choice excluding any or all of these releases? Tell us in the comments below.
Comments (47)
no way. like these albums need anymore attention.
Ursula 1000′s Mystics!
meh.
Beirut and Handsome Furs both had great albums released in 2009. I’d rather listen to Face Control than just about anything else on their list.
How much did you guys get in kickbacks to have these mainstream boring albums up there?
I’m never one to jump to Pitchfork’s defense, but this is about as impertinent a list of records as you could have collated.
Poor under represented major label detritus, as if they didn’t have enough exposure.
A BIG MEH TO THESE.
Seriously, DW is no good.
People Under the Stairs!
top ten albums that were already getting their dicks wet…
Where the FUCK are the HORRORS???????????????????????
What about Manchester Orchestra’s Mean Everything to Nothing? Or did they make the list? I’m too lazy to check.
Agree! But number one should be them croocked vultures!
nope, its good music, but not stuff i will def be coming back to time and time again, or even again for that matter. julian’s album was way too hyped and la roux will be lucky to create a follow-up album just as good. i think pf did a decent job of getting them right this time around, just as they do most of the time. plus, any list with muse on it im just gonna ignore.
I second that mdyh – yup, yup, yup, yuuuuuup. wassup flavorpill? still drinking the company eggnog?
I was shocked that they missed Florence and the Machine and The Dead Weather. Yah, those albums got a ton of hype, but that’s because they were great and they absolutely should have been on the list. Almost all the lists missed The Black Keys. What a shame!
I posted my top 20 songs of the decade on MusicVagabond: http://musicvagabond.tumblr.com/post/287595342/top-20-songs-of-decade
you guys know you’re allowed to like music even if it’s on a major label, right? It’s not a bad thing… promise!
having said that, the Muse record was an … interesting choice. I’m having a hard time figuring out what everyone liked about it. we really don’t need a poor man’s Queen, do we? it’s just too much. the bombast hurts my brain
Deer Tick- Born on Flag Day… f’ing awesome
I 2nd Deer Tick
and Black Keys.
and yes, *some* of these albums have received a fair amount of attention, but is that was these lists are about? Good albums the least # of people have heard of?
I like Pitchfork too, but those guys can only get off to Animal Collective.
[...] Top 50 of 2009, only Karen O stands out as the least bit rock and roll. Flavorwire just posted “The Top 10 Albums of 2009 That Didn’t Make Pitchfork’s Top 50″ , a list of predominantly British bands worth taking a look at if you dig the rock. Here are a [...]
I discovered the Arctic Monkeys recently and it took me a while to get into their first 2 albums which did have some GREAT songs on them – but with the exception of Crying Lightning “Humbug” is EXTREMELY uninteresting, and therfore unlistenable.
Yeah…. I was just about to write more or less exactly what mdyh had written.
Took me in with your headline though… so… this round to you.
How many of your staff writers are deaf?
Thanks for posting these 10 ’09 albums, I missed them all in my list.
We Were Promised Jetpacks “These Four Walls”
I gotta say, for a few weeks there, Kasabian’s “West Ryder…” album had me all caught up. I don’t collect their music, so it was kind of a revelation.
Really good mix of old and new – 60′s psych meets hip-house.
Who cares? Best Of lists are for wankers.
Edan’s Beauty and The Beat didn’t make it on to any list for best of decade. Surely this is a mistake?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P__LuA0vPLU
best of lists are also just for fun and to be taken with a grain of salt. so humorless!
I think you’ve jumped the shark with this.
So long!
thenewno2 – you are here
hehe, good insight into why your guys’ music coverage usually sucks. i’d say in general pitchfork is trying to laud the SPECIAL and the MASTERFUL, or some combination thereof. you can fault them for giving (often token, imho) nods to the forerunners of only certain strains of pop music (e.g. rap, dance), but if i’m going to bother to bitch about that, it’s certainly not because such bias caused them to leave out… any of these bands.
I totally agree with James. The Handsome Furs’ Face Control was my personal favorite album of the year and way more interesting and less already hyped that this list.
I know Flavorpill tries its damndest to appeal to a broad audience while maintaining a sense of “cool,” but this list is a prime example why that approach fails. This is a list of the most tepid, uninspiring music of 2009. I don’t mean to be harsh, but there could have been a little more diversity in this list – apparently Flavorpill only believes the UK and the US are the only countries that produce anything worthwhile. Also, are white Brits and Americans the only ones that produced anything good this past year? Seriously, no hip-hop, metal, noise, folk, blues, classical, or anything else? Nothing that pushes any sort of boundary whatsoever? Not that your list needs to be esoteric or genre specific, but most of the albums you’ve listed are on the Amazon’s 2009 list. Way to not be interesting in any way whatsoever.
The Ten Best Albums Of The Decade…
To celebrate the end of the aught’s, the PBH editorial team convened to put together the definitive list of the ten best albums of the decade. While we may have missed a couple of albums, rest assured we put several minutes into this hastily cons…
So much venom from people here. I thought that the list was decent and it actually gave me more motivation to give another listen to artists like, Florence and the Machine, and Kasabian.
Yeah there are a fair few major labels present, but music speaks for itself and if you can’t get your head around that you’re should spend less time rummaging for clothes at the Goodwill and start listening to music without the knee-jerk (oh my god a major label) reaction.
I do think that many of these were simply not distinctive enough to rise above the pack – and yes, most had at least some marketing muscle to get their names out there. Two exceptions to my ears: Humbug, which I think is fantastic and put on my top ten (www.anearful.blogspot.com), and the Julian Casablancas effort, which I thought was a tragic disaster only slightly better than Chris Cornell’s Scream. I hope I never hear it again.
In any case, that’s just my opinion and I’m glad to have Flavorpill around to get us thinking about this stuff.
Most of this stuff sounds like christian rock. You know, knock offs of other bands with christian lyrics.
Nosaj Thing’s “Drift?” Anybody?
people are cranky, commenting, and (I assume) clicking – which means this post’s writer got it done. too bad the UK suxxx.
I read the pitchfork list and barfed after seeing Animal Collective at #1. I hate them as much as I hate the tv show Scrubs… if that makes any sense (well if you knew me then you’d know how much I hate Scrubs).
There is no such thing as major record label cooties. Grow up… Sire as released some of the most amazing and influential records of the late 20th century.
Where’s Circlesquare’s “Songs About Dancing and Drugs?”
[...] the Top 10 albums that didn’t make Pitchfork’s Top [...]
An excellent list. I would agree that every one of these ranks in the top 50 of 2009. The White Lies album is particularly strong, one of the best of the year.
The Pitchfork list is spotty. Seems Pitchfork are trying too hard to be cool. Some great items (jj), and some complete throwaways (Major Lazer? Seriously). I find many of these “critics’ darlings” acts which Pitchfork champion to be just dull and self-indulgent. So I would call the Pitchfork list half-right.
Thank you for bringing attention to these very deserving albums, which easily could have displaced many of the dull and “too clever by half” acts on the Pitchfork list.
Sorry to keep harping here, but there’s nothing wrong with major labels or mainstream acts – the Pitchfork list had plenty of those – it’s just that this list is so homogeneous. The author clearly doesn’t believe that non-white, non-British, and non-Americans did anything worthwhile in 2009. This list doesn’t strike me as populist, it strikes me as myopic, oblivious, and remarkably narrow.
Of course, if anything becomes even remotely popular, it follows that it is boring and uninspired. I am truly glad that all the expert, Nazis-of hipness on this comment board are here to remind us all of the fact.
Seriously, the lack of rational thought in our culture amazes. You guys would probably watch Glenn Beck, if you thought it made you look cool….
This list is very poor. I pity your really shitty taste in music
Hipster love asshole.
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